


A Wave of Clarity

by SkystoneJexel



Series: The Skystone Sword [3]
Category: Runescape
Genre: Draynor, Gen, Magical Theory, Rune Mysteries, Story within a Story, Wizard Apprenticeship, Wizards' Tower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 22:09:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12993543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkystoneJexel/pseuds/SkystoneJexel
Summary: As the wizard Ilona struggles to master the elemental battle spells, she finds herself reunited with an old friend.





	A Wave of Clarity

Ilona sighed deeply, raising her wand once again as she recited the steps in her head. ‘Form a conical seal; create the water at the base of it; conjure an energy spiral to direct its flow; use air energy to launch the resulting cone of water; stabilize its flight; direct it towards the runic pulse of the target…’

“Water Blast,” she whispered, drawing the power of three water and three air runes into her wand. As she carefully weaved the projectile into existence, innumerable droplets of water materialized, rebounding off the magical seal surrounding them and merging as they collided. Within a split second, they had coalesced into a near-perfect cone, rippling at the edges and glowing slightly with runic energy. With a flick of her wand, the cone of water rocketed forward, reaching its full speed in a timespan too short for a human to clearly perceive. Her eyes widened with prideful joy, only to shift into a frustrated glare when the tip of the cone collided with the dummy and the spell dissipated harmlessly with a familiar, infuriating splash.

The wizard clenched her teeth. “To Zamorak with this!” she growled, storming out of the practice room.

As she opened the door to her dormitory, Ilona was greeted with the sight of her roommate sitting at her desk, examining a piece of tree bark with an elemental scope under the light of a glowing blue crystal. Her fellow wizard turned to face her, a welcoming smile beneath her tired brown eyes. “Ay, Ilona! How’s the spellcasting going?”

“Not well, Jalarast,” Ilona replied, taking a seat on a cushion atop the base of a massive pillar, extending into the dormitory from the central hall beyond. “I’m not having any more problems with any of the bolt spells, but Water Blast just won’t seem to cooperate. I’ve been stuck on it for hours and I’m in serious need of a break.”

“Aww, I’m sorry to hear that,” said Jalarast. “I really thought you’d be having a blast!”

“You have a pun for everything, don’t you?” Ilona chuckled. “Well, there’s no sense in giving up, but it might be best if I read up on the spell’s theoretical basis again and step outside for a moment. If I’m still stuck on it, I might need to ask the Archmage for some help as well.”

“I wish you the best, Ilona. Don’t let some silly spell keep you down!” Jalarast replied. “Oh, before you go, there’s a letter for you on the bookcase,” she said, pointing to an envelope on the small countertop jutting out in front of the bookshelves.

“Is that so?” Ilona asked as she picked up the envelope. With a wave of her wand, its seal was telekinetically broken and she unfolded the letter to read it.

_Dear Ilona,_

_I apologize that I have not had the opportunity to contact you until now. Things have been incredibly busy here on the farm. Nevertheless, I hope your studies are going well. Knowing you, I have little doubt that they are. I confess, however, that I write to you now primarily out of a concern for Jexel. Recently, rumors have begun to crop up of an adventurer the townspeople are calling ‘Skystone Jexel,’ whom they have attributed all manner of outlandish deeds to, yet I was under the impression that Jexel was attending the tower with you. I would much appreciate if you could confirm the validity or falsehood of these rumors to me._

_Yours truly,  
Lauren Luminel_

“Huh…” said Ilona as she stared blankly forward, feeling her body tense up slightly with nervousness. She had almost forgotten about Mrs. Luminel and her objections to Jexel becoming an adventurer, and she was unsure of what to do next. It would be rude to just ignore the letter, but what could she say in response? She did not want to lie about Jexel, but Mrs. Luminel would be furious if her fears were confirmed… What could she possibly do? No matter what she did, someone would be upset.

“What’s up?” asked Jalarast.

“Well, it’s just…” Ilona trailed off nervously, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. “It’s a letter from a friend’s mother asking where he’s been. He was supposed to come to the tower with me two years ago, but he decided to become an adventurer instead. His mother really isn’t going to be happy when she finds out…”

Jalarast’s ears perked up. “You have an adventurer friend? Cool!”

Ilona’s nervousness gave way to a fond smile. “He really is, I suppose. He was an optimistic sort, always eager to be the hero. He actually saved my life once.”

“He did? Now this I have to hear about!” Jalarast replied.

“It’s true,” said Ilona, a knot forming in her stomach as she recalled the catacombs. “I know this may sound far-fetched, but just before I came to the tower, I was kidnapped by some Zamorakian cultists. They-”

“That was you!?” Jalarast interrupted, springing up from her chair. “You know Skystone Jexel!? You are so lucky, Ilona!”

Ilona glared at her. “Will you please keep it quiet? I have a lot of work to do and it wouldn’t help if everyone found out about this and started pestering me about Jexel.”

Jalarast frowned, seating herself once again. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Ilona replied. “But I do have a lot to work on, and I’m going to need some time to myself so I can think. So if you’ll excuse me, I must get going for now.”

“Sure, I gotcha,” said Jalarast. “Don’t stress over it, Ilona. I’m sure Water Blast will cooperate soon enough. You’ve already gotten your feet wet, haven’t you?”

Ilona gave a half-groan, half-chuckle. “I really appreciate the encouragement. I’d better get going, though!” she said as she retrieved a book from the shelves and stepped back out into the central hall.

As she walked towards the power beam that provided transport between the many floors of the tower, she was interrupted by the voice of Wizard Traiborn. “By Saradomin’s beard!” he exclaimed as he approached Ilona. “I knew it! It really was you!”

Ilona sighed. ‘Here we go,’ she thought. ‘Jalarast just had to yell about my friendship with Jexel loud enough for everyone to hear, didn’t she?’

“Archmage, I haven’t seen you in ages!” said Traiborn, a joyful smile sprawled across his wrinkled face, framed beneath a chaotic beard.

Ilona adjusted her hat, staring confusedly at the old wizard. “Archmage? I’m sorry, Wizard Traiborn, but I think you’re mistaken. I’m barely out of my apprenticeship.”

“Ah, don’t be so humble, Archmage Verna! There’s no shame in taking pride in your accomplishments! Speaking of accomplishments, that young lad Sedridor has been nothing short of excellent. Are there any plans to make him a senior wizard soon?” Traiborn replied.

Ilona stood in awkward silence for a moment before speaking again. “Umm… I’m Ilona. I was Wizard Borann’s apprentice, remember?”

Traiborn’s eyes lit up with clarity. “Ahh yes, it’s good to see you, Ilona. I’ve heard good things about you from Jalarast. Have you seen Archmage Verna, young lass? I think I’ve found a way to observe the thingummywuts, but she’s going to need to provide the lab with more doodads.”

“I… what? Archmage Verna died seven years ago…” said Ilona.

Traiborn adjusted his glasses. “Hold on a moment… what year is this?”

“It’s 169,” Ilona replied.

“Ahh yes, of course!” said Traiborn, before muttering something under his breath about thingummywuts and how they needed to ask for permission before travelling through time. “Sorry for the bother, young thingummywut; carry on!” he said as he walked away. Ilona offered herself a quizzical shrug before entering the power beam and descending to the ground floor.

As she stepped under the massive arched doorway of the Wizards’ Tower, Ilona found a dark blue sky stretching beyond, the everlasting torches lining the bridge leading to the mainland sparkling in the distance like stars. Off to the east, towards Lumbridge, a pale gold crept subtly into the sky as the first rays of the morning sun peeked over the horizon. The air was cool, but not unpleasant, and the wind gently caressed her long hair and the bright blue wool of her robe.

She walked the ivory stone path around the tower to its back before approaching the short cliffs at the edge of the island, sitting cross-legged in the dew-covered grass amidst the buds of azure flowers that heralded the last days of Moevyng and the start of spring. There was a serene silence amidst the tower, and all that was audible was the sound of the waves roaring and crashing against the cliffs. In her lap, she opened her book: ‘Understanding the Elements, by Archmage Sedridor.’

Ilona took a moment to ponder its first page, displaying the Runic Table. Fourteen boxes represented each of the fourteen base runes, in ascending order of complexity from left to right, with the four elements above the ten catalysts. Each box displayed the symbol of a rune and several numbers representing the values of their fundamental properties, but most interesting of all was a single blank square directly to the right of the Soul Rune. Magical theory had long since held that the existence of a fifteenth base rune should be possible, but nobody had ever discovered it, and some in the tower wondered if it would ever be discovered. It had to be out there somewhere, but what could it possibly be?

She flipped through page after page until finally, she came to the section on Water Blast. “Three water and three air,” she whispered. “Picture its flow; the tide, the currents, the waves…” Lifting her eyes from the book, she looked out to the ocean beyond. As far as the eye could see, a mass of blue, the waves distorting its surface as they approached, crashing against the cliffs below and shattering, sending droplets flying into the air until gravity pulled them back to be assimilated once more into the ocean. In the clear sky above, Zanaris loomed, unwilling to cede its place in the sky even as the sun rose, its turquoise glow shining upon the water below, a sparkling reflection on the ocean’s surface, like an enlightened path leading over the horizon and out into the heavens.

She set the book beside her and stood once again. ‘Form a conical seal; create the water at the base of it; conjure an energy spiral to direct its flow; use air energy to launch the resulting cone of water; stabilize its flight; direct it towards the runic pulse of the target…’ she recited in her mind. ‘Let the energy of the runes flow as the water flows.’

She readied her wand. “Water Blast!” she shouted, the droplets of water that formed in front of her crashing against the seal surrounding them, uniting to form a single, greater whole: a cone, flowing in a spiral motion and glowing with power. She flicked her wand forward and carefully guided the spell through the air, steering it in several loops, before sending it plummeting into the sea. There was a loud splash as a jet of water shot upwards several feet, a column of silver collapsing back into the blue, and a few ripples later, the order of the ocean restored itself. Her grip tightened on the wand and she balled her free hand into a fist, raising her hands to the sky in a celebratory leap. “Yes! Finally!”

Carefully picking her book up, Ilona headed back towards the tower’s entrance with a restored enthusiasm in her stride. If she could replicate her results in the practice room, surely any Zamorakian cultist would think twice before trying to kidnap her again.

As she approached the great doorway, however, she froze solid at the sight of something out of the corner of her eye. What was that?

She turned to face the bridge. It must have been him… those blue eyes and the brown hair styled into short, downward spikes were unmistakable, but he looked so different…

A pleated white cape hung from his shoulders and the leather belt wrapped around his deep blue tunic held a scabbard, the gilded, winged guard of the sword within it bearing a star of Saradomin set with skystone.

His eyes lit up when he saw her and he approached, smiling.

She couldn’t help but smile back, running up to meet him as he approached the statues of Archmage Verna and Archmage Iris at the end of the bridge, each bearing the blue pennant of the Wizards’ Tower. “Jex! It’s good to see you again!”

“Ilona! How are you doing?” Jexel extended his arms outward, offering a friendly embrace which Ilona gladly accepted.

“I passed my apprenticeship! I’m a wizard now!” said Ilona.

“That’s wonderful to hear! I always knew you could do it,” Jexel replied, smiling brightly. “Hmm… Wizard Ilona… that certainly has a ring to it. I imagine you’re quite eager to get started with your research?”

“In truth, I’m going to delay beginning my original research for a while longer,” Ilona replied. “I would like to practice my spellcasting a little more first. I think I’ve finally figured out how to cast Water Blast!”

“Water Blast, you say?” Jexel asked.

“Indeed! I’m studying elemental battle spells. You know all too well that I’m not a violent person, but…” A pit formed in her stomach as she was reminded once again of the catacombs. “After you had to kill those cultists to rescue me, it made me realize I have to be able to defend myself.”

A surprised smile stretched across Jexel’s face. “I never expected you to study battle spells!” he chuckled. “It seems like you’ve done quite well for yourself, though.”

Ilona laughed. “I’ve done well for myself? Just look at you! I hear they’re calling you Skystone Jexel now, ‘wielder of the Skystone Sword.’”

“You mean this?” he asked, removing his sword from its scabbard for a moment to give Ilona a better view of it. She saw now that its blade, which did not seem to bear a single scratch, was made from some kind of white metal. “There’s actually an interesting story behind how I got this sword,” he said as he slid it back into his scabbard. “Speaking of interesting stories, you have got to explain to me how you ended up going on a date with Ozan!”

“I… well…” Ilona stammered. “To be completely honest with you, I’m not sure. It was about two and a half months ago, at the Black Cat Inn in Draynor…”

~***~

Ilona fidgeted nervously. “My goodness, it’s quite crowded in here…”

“Are you alright?” Jalarast asked.

“I am; it’s just that I’m unaccustomed to it. We don’t really have any inns like this in Lumbridge, and it’s so much quieter back at the tower. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” said Ilona, hesitantly stepping forward.

“Hey, relax,” said Jalarast, offering a reassuring smile. “We’re wizards now. Doing things you’re unaccustomed to is kind of going to be your life from now on. Besides, everyone seems to be paying attention to that guy.” She pointed to a dark skinned man in a bright orange sleeveless shirt standing on a table, an audience of most of the inn’s patrons surrounding him. His carefully groomed hair swished around as he emoted exaggeratedly, telling the story of some heroic deed.

Jalarast turned her gaze to the sign hanging above the bar, displaying the menu. “Finally, something other than bread, pasta, and the occasional banana or peach. Hmm… the roast chicken sounds good… Ooh, they have wizard’s mind bombs?” As she approached the bar, she beckoned towards Ilona, who stood straighter when she noticed that summer pie was on the menu.

“What can I get for ya?” asked the barmaid, a young woman with long, black hair curled at the tips, and a cheerful, lipsticked smile.

“I’ll have the roast chicken and a wizard’s mind bomb,” said Jalarast.

“One summer pie and a wizard’s mind bomb, please,” Ilona added.

The barmaid pulled out a black feather pen and started scribbling something on a piece of paper. “Right, one roast chicken and one summer pie coming up!” She quickly filled two glasses with wizard’s mind bombs and handed one to each of the wizards. “That’ll be six gold pieces for the wizard’s mind bombs, please.”

After Ilona and Jalarast had paid for their drinks, they took their seats at a table huddled into the corner of the inn. For a moment, Ilona sat in silence, staring at the raindrops as they ran down the window, slipping out of sight only to be replaced as new droplets continuously pelted the glass. The chatter of the inn’s patrons seemed to grow distant and muddled, while the pattering of the rain seemed to grow clearer. Since she had been a little girl, she had always been fascinated by water. The way it flowed, shifting, merging, splitting… always taking whatever shape it needed to. The way one could gaze into it when it was pure, catching a glimpse of what lay within. Able to displace air, erode earth, extinguish fire. Able to swallow a city or sustain a kingdom. And now, she was learning not only how to use it to protect herself, but additionally, and infinitely more importantly, of how deeply its threads had been woven into the fabric of creation itself.

The sound of Jalarast’s voice broke her focus. “Have you ever tried a wizard’s mind bomb before?” she asked, pointing to the glass of pale blue ale in front of her, swirling, irregular bubbles crowning its surface. “They’ll blow your mind!” She chugged the ale for several seconds, emptying half her glass before stopping.

Ilona sighed with a mix of annoyance and affection, taking a sip from her glass and feeling a slightly sweet and sour taste upon her lips along with an odd, uneven texture, as if the ale did not flow in quite the same manner as other liquids. “It’s a strange flavor to be sure, but not unpleasant,” she replied, before turning her attention to the mysterious, brightly-dressed man on the table on the far side of the room. “I wonder who that man is. It seems he’s drawn quite a crowd.”

“Hmm… from what he’s on about, it sounds like he might be some kind of adventurer,” Jalarast replied.

Ilona leaned forward slightly, trying to make out what the brightly-dressed man was saying.

“Ariane launched a spell at the beast, setting its snow-white fur ablaze, but that didn’t kill it! All she managed to do was send it flying into a rage, baring a phalanx of massive, needle-sharp teeth as it roared, covered in flames from head to toe!” He twisted his face into a snarl in imitation of the beast’s ferocity and raised his hand in a claw-like motion.

“Its claws were like a row of swords, and with a single, swift swipe, it came within a hair’s width of tearing straight through Owen’s gauntlets, but he would have none of that!” The storyteller made a jabbing motion at the air in front of him with his clenched fist. “He moved his hand out of the way just in time, backhanded the beast in the nose, and thrust his sword straight into the bear’s maw, a spike of whitesteel impaling it through the throat! Finally defeated, the burning white bear collapsed, its death rattle echoing off the frozen walls of the dungeon.”

“I suppose you good people of Misthalin probably don’t see many Temple Knights, but I tell you, Owen was no joke! I mean, you probably knew that already. It’s no secret that the most secretive thing about the Temple Knights is where they keep their sense of humor!” he said, eliciting a round of laughter from the crowd.

The man continued his story, telling the tale of a bandit with an army of beasts at his disposal and the extraordinary exploits of himself and his companions as they battled the beastmaster, rescuing a great druidic summoner from his clutches and encountering a great behemoth of a creature that the world had never before seen. Though the story seemed quite far-fetched to Ilona, and she suspected that it might be fictional or at least heavily exaggerated, it was certainly entertaining, and more unlikely tales had indeed been confirmed to be true.

As he concluded the story, there was a round of applause from the audience. “Thank you, you’ve all been great!” he said, bowing to the crowd before diving off the table and landing in a graceful roll, to the amazement of the inn’s patrons, who clapped once again.

“Ah, sorry for the delay!” she heard a nearby voice say, turning to see the barmaid standing over the table with an apologetic smile on her face. “It’s a lot more crowded here than usual; I guess a lot of people came to see that adventurer over there,” said the barmaid, pointing to the brightly-dressed man.

“Oh… it’s fine!” Ilona assured her. “I actually hadn’t noticed it had been very long.”

“Here you go, one roast chicken and one summer pie! Hopefully it’ll be worth the wait!” said the barmaid, placing the food on the table. “That’ll be nineteen gold pieces, please!”

The two wizards thanked the barmaid and paid for their food. “Enjoy!” she said before scurrying off to the bar once again to serve more of her throng of customers.

Ilona looked down at the golden crust of the miniature pie, the light from the inn’s candles reflecting off the succulent surface of the fruit visible through the lattice; a mosaic of red, pink, and gold. For a moment, she closed her eyes, taking in the sweet aroma of fresh apples, strawberries, and watermelons. ‘Just like home,’ she thought.

Suddenly, she heard the voice of a man with a Kharidian accent next to her. “I thought they only served summer pies here, not cutie pies,” he said. Startled, she nearly jumped out of her seat, opening her eyes to see the brightly-dressed storyteller standing next to the table, a charming smile upon his lips. “Haha, sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you!”

“No w-worries! I… uhh… did you just call me a cutie pie?” Ilona rambled nervously.

Jalarast squealed with excitement. “Ilona, looks like someone’s taken an interest in you!”

“That I did! It’s not every day you see a girl with purple eyes, especially one as endearing as you,” the storyteller replied. “I’m Ozan. Can I join you? Assuming your charming friend here wouldn’t mind, of course.”

“Well… t-thank you for calling me endearing… I mean thank you for the kind words! I’m Ilona. It’s nice to me too. I mean… it’s nice to meet you,” said Ilona, fidgeting with her hands and feeling her palms grow slippery with sweat. What a fool she was making of herself. “Umm, Jalarast? Should we let him join us?”

“Oh, I think I would just get in the way!” Jalarast said cheerfully. “You two have fun, I’ll meet you back at the tower!”

“Where are you going?” asked Ilona.

“To see if any of the ladies here are interested. You’ve got a date; it’s only fair if I get one too!” Jalarast replied, rising from her seat and picking up her food and drink. “Good luck, Ilona!”

Ilona sat in awkward silence for a moment before Ozan spoke. “You seem a little on edge. If you’re uncomfortable, I can leave you be,” he said.

‘There’s nothing to be afraid of,’ she thought to herself. ‘If he suggests anything you’re uncomfortable with, you can back out at any time.’

“No, it’s alright. You can sit. I mean… have a seat, please,” she finally replied.

“My deepest gratitude, fair lady!” he said, taking a seat opposite her.

“So umm… you’re an adventurer?” she asked, taking a bite out of her summer pie and a sip of her wizard’s mind bomb.

“Indeed I am,” said Ozan. “I have many more stories to tell, if you wish to hear them. I’m honored to be in such lovely company!”

“Oh! Thank you!” she said, taking deep breaths to overcome her anxiety. She couldn’t help but be a little nervous still, but he just said he wanted to tell some stories; a little social interaction couldn’t hurt.

Once she had collected her thoughts a little, she spoke again. “Sure, I wouldn’t mind hearing a story or two,” she said before taking a few more bites out of her pie.

Ozan grinned. “Very well! Our story begins here, in Draynor. It was a peaceful summer night, stars speckling the clear sky above. I was investigating the Skulls gang, when I crossed paths with none other than the legendary Skystone Jexel.”

Ilona sat up straighter. “You know Jex? I mean… Jexel?”

“Indeed I do!” Ozan replied. “I devised a brilliant plan for Jexel to infiltrate the Skulls: he would disguise himself as a thug and convince the gang to let him join. Once he was on the inside, he would figure out what they were up to, and with his prowess in battle and my undeniable cunning, we would unravel their nefarious plans!”

“You know, I actually know Jexel myself,” said Ilona. “He and I were friends for years before he became an adventurer. To think that he’s accomplished so much now…”

“Ahh, you’re one lucky girl if you can call Jexel a friend!” Ozan replied. “He really has accomplished a lot. Well, not as much as me, but still a lot! Anyway, getting back to the story. Jexel had infiltrated the Skulls, and he discovered that their leader was none other than Khnum, an old friend of mine who was once a palace guard of Al-Kharid!”

“It must have taken a lot of courage for him to infiltrate the Skulls. I imagine they’re not held in high regard by many, but Jex has a more personal hatred of them than most,” said Ilona, taking another slice of pie and another sip of her drink.

Ozan frowned, looking quite deflated. “Yes, well… Jexel played an important part in the plan, but I was the mastermind behind the operation.” For a moment, he was silent, and seemed to be thinking about something. “How about a different story? I have dozens of other heroic exploits I could share with you, if you wish!”

“Actually, I have a story of my own about Jex,” Ilona replied. “It was two years ago, back in Rintra of 167, just before he first set out as an adventurer. I was…” She paused for a moment, feeling slightly nauseous as the memories of the catacombs’ horrors came flooding back. “I was kidnapped by a Zamorakian cult… a trio who had made a blood pact. They took me to the catacombs of Lumbridge. I… I thought I was going to die, but Jex was there to save me.”

The feeling of nausea subsided, and Ilona smiled fondly. “At that point, he had never been in a fight before. I’m not sure he had even held a sword before, but that didn’t stop him. He fought the cultists, he defeated them, and if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

Ozan gave an approving smile. “Heh, that definitely sounds like Jexel! Always wanting to be the knight in shining armor.”

“He’s been like that as long as I’ve known him, really,” said Ilona before finishing up the last of her pie and emptying the remainder of her ale glass. “Ahh, but I must be on my way; it’s getting quite late. Have a good night, Mr. Ozan!” She stood from her seat, waving awkwardly at the adventurer.

“Farewell, my lady! It has been my pleasure!” said Ozan as Ilona headed for the door.

~***~

Jexel frowned. “Great… Ozan is telling stories about me? Knowing him, he’s probably told people a lot of exaggerated nonsense about me. I’m going to have to talk to him about that…”

Ilona nodded. “The story he told about the beastmaster and the dungeon did seem rather implausible to me.”

“Actually, that really happened,” Jexel replied. “It sounds like he exaggerated quite a bit, though, and that’s what I’m worried about. Hearsay is unreliable enough without him purposely making it less accurate.” He sighed. “Well, Ilona, it was nice to see you again, but I do have some things I need to do. Could you tell me where the archmage’s office is?”

“Ahh, just go up the power beam in the center of the library until you reach the fourth floor,” said Ilona. “From there, you should be able to see a sign on the wall listing the key rooms on that level. Just touch the text on the sign where it lists the archmage’s office or any other room you need to find and it will conjure a trail of light on the floor, leading you to your destination.”

“Thanks!” said Jexel, taking a few steps towards the tower before pausing once again. “Hey Ilona, you said you were studying elemental battle spells, right?”

“Indeed,” Ilona replied.

“I think you’ll love what I’m going to show the archmage, then!” Jexel said with a hint of excitement in his voice as he retrieved an old, tattered book from his backpack, a few flecks of purple still clinging to its cover. “Take a look, I found this in a pyramid in the Kharidian Desert. An ancient book of spells lost to the ages, most of them battle spells!” he stretched out his hand, offering the book to Ilona.

Ilona’s pulse quickened when she saw the book, taking it wordlessly in her hand. She could not understand the language the title was written in, save for one word, ‘Mahjarrat,’ staring her in the face, and she recognized the rest of the title, worn and faded as it was, as the Infernal language used by occultists.

The spells she found listed when she opened the book, detailing strange effects and alien elements, only confirmed her fears. “Jex, whatever you do, don’t cast these spells!” she quavered.

Jexel’s eyes widened. “What? Why?”

“These spells…” Ilona replied. “They’re… well, they’re complete nonsense. They’re not even remotely congruent with magical theory. This is a hoax, I’m sure of it. At best, they won’t work at all, and at worst…” she trailed off.

“At worst what?” asked Jexel.

“At worst…” she continued. “Whoever gave you this spellbook was trying to trick you into casting something completely different from the spells listed here… something that could have horrible consequences.”

Jexel seemed more confused than worried. “But I’ve already tested these spells and they work fine.”

Ilona stared at him blankly for a while before responding. “What? But… that’s not possible…”

“Sure it is,” Jexel replied. “Here, I’ll show you,” he said, pulling out an ornate wand with a dim azure glow at its tip, which left a faint trail of light as he moved it through the air. Its handle had a blue cloth wrapped around it and a golden Saradominist star at its base.

“Smoke Rush!” he recited, causing several small, dense spheres of smoke to form at the wand’s tip, swirling as they flew onwards through the air. With a flick of his wand, Jexel caused the spheres to explode into a large, singular cloud of smoke, which lingered in the air for several seconds before dissipating.

Jexel sheathed his wand once again. “See?”

Ilona spent several seconds staring open-mouthed at Jexel before offering a reply. “H-how…”

Jexel shrugged. “Could there be a mistake in magical theory?”

“Impossible,” Ilona replied. “Wizards have been studying magical theory since the dawn of the Fifth Age. Modern magical theory not only incorporates all the evidence we’ve gathered from observation and experimentation over the last 169 years, but allows us to make accurate predictions about future applications of magic. If there was a mistake in magical theory, spellcrafting would be based on nothing more than sheer trial and error, and none of the spells we use today would even work.”

“But didn’t I just do something that should be impossible according to magical theory?” Jexel asked.

“Well, yes…” said Ilona, turning to look towards the tower for a moment; that column of ivory stone that stretched into the sky, shining as it caught the rays of the morning sun on one side, the path leading up to it flanked by two fountains kept flowing by a permanent water spell. She had learned much in the last two years, but she was still a junior wizard. Perhaps one of the senior wizards could explain Jexel’s spellbook?

She returned her gaze to Jexel. “It doesn’t make any sense… hopefully Archmage Sedridor will understand it better than I do.”

“Hold on a moment,” said Jexel, who turned to face the bridge again. “Ariane, is that you?”

As Ilona looked towards the bridge, she saw a young redheaded woman with a teal band in her hair and a tight green mage’s robe that emphasized her figure and was short enough to allow her legs to move freely, only coming down to her mid-thigh. “Jexel!” the redheaded mage called back, pausing only briefly to wave before she continued towards the tower. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time to chat right now. I need to speak with Archmage Sedridor immediately.”

“Who was that?” asked Ilona.

“Ahh, that was Ariane, a good friend of mine from the Legends’ Guild,” Jexel replied. “She’s a seer and sorceress. A former student of the tower, actually. I think you two would get along well.” He looked towards the tower’s entrance as he heard a voice from within. Though Ilona could not make out quite what was being said, she recognized the voice of Wizard Valina, along with that of the sorceress. It sounded as if the sorceress was distressed about something.

“I should probably go and make sure everything’s alright in there,” said Jexel. “Sorry Ilona, I’ll see you later.” He walked quickly towards the tower entrance, his cape flowing behind him in the wind.

Ilona seated herself at the base of Archmage Verna’s statue overlooking the bridge. As she looked towards the great doorway leading into the tower, built into a massive archway that also housed a circular window decorated with intricate patterns of blue stained glass, she thought of her old friend.

So much had changed in just two years… since he first stepped through that doorway in the dim torchlight of Lumbridge’s catacombs, bronze blade in hand, and challenged the Zamorakian swordsman who held her captive. Now he was more than just her hero… the whole world seemed to know his name, and he definitely wasn’t using a cheap guardsman’s blade anymore.

Her thoughts shifted to the redheaded mage. She wondered what adventures the sorceress might have shared with Jexel; he seemed to have a lot more time for his adventurer friends these days than he did for her.

What a strange thought… why would she even care about that? He had clearly been happy to see her. In all likelihood, he had simply been busy and not had time to visit her, and it was not like he wasn’t allowed to have other friends.

It was only then that she realized how greatly she missed him. She had her studies and he had his adventures, but she could only hope that once he was done with whatever it was Ariane needed, they could spend some time with each other, just like they used to...

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are at last, part 3 of the series! I'm really going to need to pick up the pace if I want to get this series finished in any reasonable length of time.
> 
> This fic isn't quite as dramatic as the last two, but I think it's good to have a few quieter episodes here and there so it's not just all epic journeys and fierce battles all the time. Furthermore, fics like this give me a great opportunity to flesh out the world of Gielinor and focus on character development, and one of my favorite aspects of writing RS fanfic is being able to flesh out details and characters that aren't given as much attention in-game. I especially enjoyed fleshing out the wizards and magic, as I feel that they're not given nearly enough focus in-game for how important they are to the story. I mean, they ushered in the Fifth Age, for Saradomin's sake, and the game is called RuneScape.
> 
> Last but not least, I've actually planted some seeds in this story that will become very important later on in the series. Can you guess what they might be?
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy reading this fic, and if you could take a moment to leave me a comment with feedback, I would greatly appreciate that! Even if it's negative feedback, I don't mind as long as it's constructive.


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